Rocky Mount mayor moonlights as trivia night host

ROCKY MOUNT — The Living Proof Beer Co. holds a weekly trivia night on Wednesdays hosted by members of the community. One notable regular host is new Mayor C. Holland Perdue III, who has become a standout and favorite of the crowd.

Patrons pack into the quaint Rocky Mount brewery for the trivia nights. In the months since he started hosting, Perdue has won over the rambunctious crowd.

“The town really loves when Holland does it,” said Jim Garner, one of the brewery’s owners. “It’s turned into a busy night.”

Perdue first connected with the brewery, located in Rocky Mount’s downtown, for a candidate forum while running for mayor last year. They noticed he was coming in the for the forum and asked him to host a trivia night a few nights before.

“I really enjoyed it,” Perdue said of hosting. “I like interacting with the people.”

Because of his ease at hosting, Garner said they have continued to bring him back regularly. He usually hosts one or two Wednesday trivia nights each month.

At a trivia night held last week, Perdue wandered from table to table at the brewery speaking to everyone while hosting. He seemed at ease joking with the crowd as the night went on.

Perdue ditched the suit and tie he wears to town meetings and to his job as attorney at his law office Raine & Perdue PLC in Rocky Mount. He instead wore a more casual red hoodie and jeans.

“He makes it very entertaining,” said Allen “Buddy” Hancock, owner of Rocky Mount Smokehouse. “It suits him.”

Hancock is one of several local business owners who regularly attend the trivia nights hosted by Perdue and others. Garner said several local small businesses attend as well as host. It allows the community to come together and get to know one another, he said.

Rocky Mount Town Manager Robert Wood was also in attendance at Living Proof Aug. 16 to watch the start of Perdue’s night of hosting. He said the regular hosting duties were a great way for him to connect with the community.

As for Perdue, he doesn’t see it as something he is doing as mayor. Perdue said he is not sure how many people attending the trivia nights actually even know he is the mayor. While he doesn’t shy away from his elected position, he usually doesn’t announce it while hosting.

“I don’t really put my mayor hat on,” Perdue said. “I just try to interact with the community.”

Although, Perdue said he does have some people talk to him after trivia is over with town concerns. He said people feel more comfortable coming up to him after watching him socialize with the crowd.

“I think it makes it a little easier for people to interact with me,” Perdue said.

So far, Perdue has no intentions of stopping his occasional trivia night hosting duties. He is already scheduled to host another trivia night next month as well as two in October.